A book to profoundly connect you with nature
A book to change your year.
“Lovely book…. I really enjoyed it, and liked the quirky humour, I thought the illustrations were excellent, too” Neil Ansell, author of Deep Country and other classic nature books
The illustrated story of a magical year in a wild garden
The story interweaves diary entries and is told with a touch of humour
The book brings to life the charismatic myriad inhabitants of this extraordinarily prolific urban habitat.
It tells of the plants, animals, birds and insects, from the big and bold to the minute and the secretive, in all their mystery and interconnectedness.
Sample diary entries
Jan 24th:
I’m watching the sparrows as they finally settle down to roost in the holly tree as darkness falls. All has gone quiet. Then I notice one bird hop down to the lowest branch of the tree, do a poo, and hop back up to where it was before. Seems like this is sparrow etiquette: you just don’t poo on someone else’s head while they’re asleep. We’ve all been there.
April 30th: Meeting this hedgehog brings a most extraordinary feeling of profound happiness: a sense that, just for these fleeting moments, everything in my world seems perfect, that all my worldly worries are forgotten, that nothing could be changed to make things any better. Having this iconic animal here seems like the epitome of wild naturalness. Maybe it’s because this species is so scarce and therefore all the more special; or perhaps it’s the fact that hedgehogs are just about the most heart-achingly adorable creatures you’ll ever encounter. Maybe it’s all of these.
Videos
A BBC Radio interview about the book
A 30 minute TV programme about the book and garden
An interview on Latest TV
An earlier interview on BBC Radio
Reviews
Review in Sussex Wildlife Trusts magazine
